Katherine Bernardi

The primary goal of a token economy is to

increase desirable behavior and decrease

undesirable behavior.

• Often token economies are used in institutional settings

(such as psychiatric hospitals or correctional facilities) to

manage the behavior of individuals who may be aggressive

or unpredictable. (Token Economy System , 2014)

However, the larger goal of token economies is to teach

appropriate behavior and social skills that can be used in

one's natural environment. (Benefits of a Token Economy, 2014)

(Cosgrave, 2014)

• Tokens: Anything that is visible and countable can be used as a token. Tokens should preferably be attractive, easy to carry and dispense, and difficult to counterfeit. Commonly used items include poker chips, stickers, point tallies, or play money. (Neitzel, 2009)

• At South Side Elementary School they provide Patriot Acts.

• When an individual displays desirable behavior, he or she is immediately given a Patriot Act. These Patriot Acts have no value of their own. They are collected and later exchanged for meaningful objects, privileges or activities. Students get to exchange them in the schools store for books , games, pencils, bookmarks, etc. At South Side individuals do not get these tokens taken away instead they earn a disciplinary check mark for displaying undesirable behavior.

• It can be used with Special education, regular education,

colleges, various types of group homes, military divisions,

nursing homes, addiction treatment programs, occupational

settings, family homes (for marital or parenting difficulties), and

hospitals may also use token economies. Token economies can

be used individually or in groups.

• For my project I am targeting fifth graders !

(Cosgrave, 2014)

1. First you need to clearly define target behaviors, so that the

students know exactly what they need to do in order to

receive tokens.

2. Show them what the tokens look like and the value of the

tokens if different ones have different values.

3. You must explain what the back up reinforcers are. Why

should students want to acquire these tokens?

4. Explain that the activities they receive in exchange for their

tokens.

5. This allows them the opportunity to anticipate the future

reward.

• Tokens should be handed out frequently in the beginning.

Students should have the capability of receiving anywhere from

25-75 tokens on the first day. This aids them in learning the

value of the tokens quickly.

• Later, the numbers should start to decrease from between 15 to

30 tokens per day. By gradually decreasing the number of

tokens handed out in one day, students should learn to display

the desirable behavior independently.

• As you are moving into the process of less tokens be sure to use

verbal praise, this will help out in the fading process.

• The research on token economies is very extensive.

• There are studies like Cowles (1937) found similar results with exchangeable tokens when he taught chimpanzees new learning tasks. (Doll, 2013)

• Then 64 years later in Sousa and Matsuzawa’s (2001) study, not only did chimpanzees perform similarly with tokens as they did with direct food rewards, but the researchers found that chimpanzees were able to collect and save several tokens before exchanging them. (Doll, 2013)

• Then pertaining just to token economy systems in schools, I found that Later on in the 1100’s, Birnbaum (1962) noted that using rewards such as nuts, figs, and honey were commonly implemented by educators as incentives for learning.

• In the 16th century, Skinner (1966) described instances where fruit and cake was advocated by Erasmus in order to help children learn Greek and Latin. (Doll, 2013)

How did you first implement this token economy in your classroom?

“I sent a pamphlet home with each students so that their parents where aware and understood what the school had decided to implement and why. This pamphlet also stated how we would implement this in our individual classrooms.”

Did any parents contact you about it?

“Not directly, the pamphlet had the offices phone number on it so that’s who they were referred to.”

Has these Patriot Acts worked for you?

Yes, they have worked. I do not hand them out as often as I probably should but I give them the chance to get them every morning when I check that their parents have signed their planner and that all the homework assigned for the previous night has been completed. I don’t check that the homework is correct but that they tried and that it is filled out in its entirety.”

From what I have seen in your classroom, I think your students feel more accomplished when receiving a patriot act from you, why do you think that is?

“ Well, I don’t hand mine out as often as some of the other teachers do. I like to give them the ticket when they are really doing the right thing. Sometimes I even give out the yellow ones which are worth 10 of the white ones, but those are in rare cases.”

“Some of the times I completely forget to even hand them out and let me tell you, you only forget for a split second because these kids know that they deserve one for doing their homework.”

• According to Abigail Cash and Suzanne Woollens, who wrote

up a Practical Recommendation and Intervention paper for

teachers, they stated that “teachers designing and

administering token economy programs should be trained in

behavior modification procedures, record keeping, and

analysis. They also need to read and review any appropriate

literature.”

• "One of the most important technologies of behavior modifiers

and applied behavior analysts over the last 40 years has been

the token economy"

(Matson and Boisjoli, 2009)

Abigail Cash, a. S. (n.d.). Practical Recommendations and Interventions . Retrieved April 5, 2014, from

Token Economy :

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=7&ved=0CFIQFjA

G&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iu5.org%2Fsites%2FSpecialEducation%2FAdministrators%2520Too

lkit%2520for%2520Classroom%2520Management%2FModule%25204%2520-

%2520Use%2520a%2520Continuum%2

Benifits of a Token Economy. (2014). Retrieved April 5, 2014, from Token Economy Reward Redeem

Results : http://www.tokeneconomy.com/about-us/benefits.php

Cosgrave, G. (2014). Educate Autism . Retrieved April 5, 2014, from Token Economy :

http://www.educateautism.com/token-economy.html#.U0Ay-aPD-Uk

Neitzel, J. (2009). Steps for implementation: Token economy programs. Chapel Hill, NC: The National

Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders, Frank Porter Graham Child

Development Institute, The University of North Carolina. Retrieved from:

http://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/sites/autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/files/Reinforcement_Steps-

Token.pdf

Steps for Implementation: Token Economy Programs. (2009). National Professional Development Center

on Autism Spectrum Disorders , 11.

Token Economy System . (2014). Retrieved April 5, 2014, from Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders :

http://www.minddisorders.com/Py-Z/Token-economy-system.html

Doll, e. (2013). The Token Economy: A Recent Review and Evaluation. International Journal of Basic and

Applied Science , 131-149.